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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Mirror neuron activation prior to action observation in a predictable context.

Monica Maranesi¹, Alessandro Livi², Leonardo Fogassi²

¹Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition (BCSMC), 43125 Parma, Italy and.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|November 8, 2014

Summary

Mirror neurons (MNs) in monkeys predict others' actions, with some firing even when an action is withheld. This neural prediction is crucial for social cognition and understanding intentions.

Keywords:

area F5 contextual information motor prediction

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Primate Cognition
Social Behavior

Background:

Social animals predict external events, including others' actions.
Ventral premotor area F5 mirror neurons (MNs) are implicated in action understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the activity of F5 MNs during observation of performed and withheld actions.
To determine if MNs exhibit predictive discharge based on auditory cues.

Main Methods:

Recorded F5 MN activity in monkeys observing an experimenter.
Compared MN discharge during action observation versus inaction conditions.
Utilized auditory instructions to predict upcoming actions.

Main Results:

Many MNs fired during action observation (Action MNs); one-third encoded withheld actions (Inaction MNs).
Inaction MNs predominantly showed predictive discharge, preceding the action by 340 ms.
MNs activated earlier for actions in extrapersonal space compared to peripersonal space.

Conclusions:

F5 MNs contribute to predictive representations of others' actions, including anticipated inaction.
Context-dependent MN activity suggests varying roles in predicting actions based on interaction potential.